Non-Food Valentines!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I'd share some of my potential ideas for gifts for my kiddos this year. I LOVE the idea of giving some kind of non-food item in the midst of all the sugar-induced craziness, and these items can all be found on the CHEAP at Target!

(BTW...This post was inspired by the AMAZING Rachelle at http://whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com!)

Option #1: Maze Games

Handheld Puzzles: Target Party Section {18 ct for $5}

Option #2: Bouncy Balls

Bouncy Balls: Target Party Section {12 ct for $3}

Option #3: Bubbles

Bubble Necklaces: Target Party Section {12 ct for $3}

Click here to download.

I haven't decided which ones I want to make for my kiddos yet...What do you think? Comment below with your favorite!

Math Volunteers made EASY!

I LOVE volunteers in my classroom! However, I have struggled to find a system that WORKS with my class...until now. ***HOORAY!***

I don't know about you, but in the past this is how working with math volunteers would go down: I'd assign a day and prep ALL kinds of activities and assignments and it would be SO GREAT! Flash to a couple of weeks later, and my parent shows up in the middle of a math lesson. I've forgotten about restocking the activities and assignments, and all of a sudden I'm scrambling to gather something for the volunteer to work on with students. It ends up being a mess for everyone involved.

On a quest to make this time valuable for students and efficient for both me and the volunteer, I've created this product: my Primary Math Volunteer Guide. 

This product is intended as a ready-to-go resource for use with a volunteer that is working one-on-one with students. With this resource, you will receive everything you need to create an efficient, easy to use binder to help your volunteer hit the ground running with students! Volunteers simply pick up the binder and choose from 5 math "menus": addition/subtraction, coins/money, number sense, time/clock practice, and place value. Each topic "menu" has a page with easy to follow activities to help review reinforce the concept with students. Each menu also has a convenient space for you to post a sticky-note with student names so your volunteer knows exactly who to work with each day!

Included in this pack:

*Binder cover
*Introduction/assembly instructions
*5 Menus: addition/subtraction, coins/money, number sense, time/clock practice, and place value
*Addition Strategy Poster
*Subtraction Strategy Poster
*120 Chart
*200 Chart
*2 EASY TO USE recording sheet options

The topics covered in this binder can be used for:

Enrichment in Kindergarten
Intervention/Enrichment in 1st Grade
Reinforcement/Intervention in 2nd Grade

Already, it has made volunteering a breeze. The best part? Each topic page has a little sticky note slot for you to easily interchange which students your volunteer should work with each day. Take a look at one of the topic pages below:

ALSO included are these great addition and subtraction strategy posters for volunteers to reference with students:

The only thing that takes a little prepping is the math tub. With the binder, I give my volunteer a math tub that has all of the materials necessary. Here are some of the items I've included:

These are all things that I already had in my classroom. It took a little time, but it is definitely a "one and DONE!" thing. I love that!

Download this product in my TpT shop HERE!

Because this is something that I've struggled with for so long, this product was really a labor of love. I am really excited and happy about the results so far.

Have you found any volunteer systems that work? Let me know what you think!

*SNOW* Much fun with Shapes!

Today in math, we reviewed 3D shapes by having an indoor snowball fight! The morning temps were as low as -9 degrees, so it was nice to have at least a little winter fun on an indoor recess day!

A video posted by Angela Brignac (@brignacsbrightideas) on Jan 11, 2016 at 2:31pm PST

This fun game is part of my Snowflake Shape Sort pack. Each snowball has either a picture of a shape or the name of a shape. Here's how to play:

Take a look below to check out some of the other fun things you can find in this set:

The kids LOVE these riddles! There is one for both 2D and 3D shapes. I like them because they're multi-step, super cute, and oh so FUN!

Stay warm, friends!

Classroom Management MAKEOVER!

As we start the new year, I decided that my classroom management program needed a little sprucing up. I like to start in September with a management plan that is as simple to follow as possible: a happy classroom community with very clear expectations and procedures. To give a little incentive, I also start the school year with a class marble jar. When the marble jar is full, students get some kind of class party. I think many of us use some kind of class point system, so this is nothing new. It works like a charm!

However, come winter? THAT'S when things start to get a little hairy. I don't like to add anything new to my classroom management plan until I feel like I need it, and OH MY was it TIME! Here is what I've done to start my January on the right foot:

Step 1: Introduce "Awesome Tickets

"

Students can earn these Awesome Tickets for following our five classroom rules or by showing awesomeness in any way. To start, I keep it simple by having them write their names on the back and adding it to the "class drawing" bins. This brings me to...

Step 2: Introduce Incentives

To keep it simple in the beginning, I simply have students put their tickets into one of two bins: the "Prize Bucket" bin and "Lunch Bunch" bin.

 

Throughout the day, I will draw a few names out of the prize bucket basket. Once a week, I will draw 5-6 names for "lunch bunch." Lunch bunch is where I take a group of students to have lunch in the classroom with me. They LOVE it! 

Note: For busy teachers that sometimes work during their lunch hour, I've also tried "lunch theatre." Simply play a Magic School Bus or other educational video in the classroom while they eat. It's not as nice for building community and student/teacher rapport, but hey...the kids still love it (AND you get to do what you need to do)!

Grab the basket labels for FREE here!

Step 3: Build a Ticket Economy

When you are ready, you can add to the incentives by creating an option for students to save and spend their tickets. 

Download poster HERE!

I created this poster template to give me the flexibility to change the options as the year progresses. That way, students always feel the excitement and motivation! Prizes range from big to small. Here, my biggest prize is to have students earn the option of using my teacher rocking chair at their desk spots for the entire day. (Students also think it's hilarious if I use their small desk chairs at my easel for the day. Hey, whatever keeps them happy!)

For 15 tickets, students can earn passes for no homework, lunch bunch, "fun with a friend," and tech time. I printed and laminated these passes so that they can be reused throughout the year. Students turn in their tickets, get a pass, and then choose when they would like to use it. (Alternatively, I can choose a time that is appropriate for them to use the passes.) That way, I do not have to keep a list of who earned what and when. Students return the pass, get their prize, and then NO note-taking for me=a VERY happy teacher!

You can find my Awesome Tickets and reward passes BUNDLED at my TpT store.

Click HERE for the link!

Cheers to a happy classroom in 2016!